Julie Anderson was born into privilege and a charmed life. She is surrounded by love, friends and family. She secretly dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer.

Robert Holiday was other born into a life of violence on the streets of North Shore. Initiated into the Shorsemen gang at a young age, he rises to the level of leader.

Can a young, idealistic co-ed, crack a jaded gang member’s icy shell and allowing the warmth of her love to awaken his soul?

Excerpt

“Julie!” Jennifer raced across the room and hugged her friend as if she hadn’t seen her in a decade. As she squeezed her, Jennifer whispered, “I’m so glad you brought him. Tonya’s here, so keep an eye on him. She’s been talking about stealing your man. Love you.”
She released Julie and smiled. “Robert, beer’s over there. Drop a twenty in the bucket and drink away.”
He grinned. “This party might not be so bad after all. Can I get you a be…diet something?”
Julie chuckled as she pointed. “You go that way and get a beer. I’ll go over there and grab a diet something. And then we’ll meet back here.”
“Synchronize our watches?”
Giggling, Julie disappeared into the crowd.
Robert stood near the beer line and watched as a brunette in a tight short skirt and low cut top strutted across the room and stood before him.
She dropped her gaze to his feet and moved it up to his hips then linked gazes with him. “Hello, tall, dark and totally fuckable.” She dragged her tongue across her top lip.
Robert’s chuckle started with a shake of his shoulders then moved to the crooked grin on his face before it erupted from his mouth.
She stepped in closer, slid her hand down his stomach and rested it on the inside of his thigh.
Robert didn’t release his gaze from hers. “What? Ya want me to just rip your clothes off and do ya here?”
Her pupils dilated.
Robert flicked her hand off his leg then glanced left and right to see who had slipped their arms around his.
“Tonya.” Tricia waited until the girl looked at her. “This gorgeous hunk of maleness is more man than you could ever handle.”
Jennifer flicked her hand. “Go away now. He’s all ours.”
Tonya turned on her heel and stormed off.
“Thank you. But I coulda handled that myself.”
“We’re just protecting Julie’s property.” Tricia winked and wandered over to speak with a friend.
Jennifer released his arm. “Tonya’s the school slut.”
“Figured that out all by myself.”
Julie stopped in front of them. “Did you get lost coming back from getting the beer?” She glanced at his empty hands. “Or did you get lost going to find the beer?”
Christopher barged between them and bumped Robert’s shoulder. “Guess Jennifer’s starting to hang with trash.”
Robert lunged forward, grabbed Christopher’s shoulder and spun him around. Before Christopher could react, Robert slammed his palms on Christopher’s chest shoving him back a couple of steps. “I am so not going take any of this shit tonight. Ya wanna take this outside and end it now?” His shoulders heaved with the depth of breaths he inhaled.
Refusing to make eye contact with Robert, Christopher glanced around. “I didn’t mean nothing.”
With one step, Robert invaded Christopher’s personal space. “Yea, you did.” He locked his gaze onto Christopher’s and didn’t blink.
Jennifer started to step forward, but Julie touched her arm. “No, leave him alone. Let him deal. He won’t do anything stupid.”
Several heartbeats later, a friend of Christopher’s grabbed his arm, pulling him away.
Robert slightly turned his head and watched as they camouflaged Christopher into the crowd. He rolled his shoulders and twisted his head around then turned. All signs of anger had disappeared. He stepped closer to Jennifer. “Sorry. He shouldn’t have insulted ya. If ya want me to go, I’m outta here.”
She handed him an unopened beer, rose up on her toes and placed a tiny kiss on his cheek. “You did good. He’s an ass.” Smiling at the surprised look on Robert’s face, she walked over to a group of girls to mingle with her friends.

Character Interview

Hi,
I’m Victoria Adams and I’m happy to be here. I’m rather shy so I brought along a few people. Introduce yourselves ladies.
J – “Hi. I’m Jennifer. I’m Julie’s best friend.”
F – *shakes her head* “Jennifer, love, they don’t even know who Julie is yet. Hello. My name is Francine Paulin. My father is the CEO of Paulin Enterprises and—”
J – “So thinking they don’t want to hear your life story. We’re here to talk about the love affair of Westland between my – ahem – best friend – Julie and Robert.”
T – “Hi everybody. I’m Patricia-Ann, but everyone calls me Tricia. And of the three of us, I’m the only one who got to sleep with Robert.”
F – “Like we’re going to talk about that again.”
Victoria – “Okay, girls. Let’s settle down. Will you tell us something about Julie?”
T – “One day when we were four, Julie and I were playing in the park and a big kid knocked my ice cream cone out of my hand and Julie picked it up out of the dirt and smeared it on his shirt and then we ran back to my house. Even when she was little, Julie stood up for the underdog.”
J – “Yes, I watched her stand up to a teacher once for yelling at a classmate.”
Victoria – “Now can you tell us something about Robert?”
T – “I can tell you lots of thing about him. What his kisses feel like. How cool it is to run your hand down his ripped stomach. When he touches you, it’s like—”
F – “Patricia-Ann.” * rolls her eyes* “What the readers need to know is, Robert isn’t one of us.”
J – “Nope” *giggles* “He’s a guy.”
F – “That’s not what I meant. We three, and Julie, grew up in Westland. We have a privileged background. As I said my father is the head of a major corporation, Julie’s father is a judge and so on. Robert, well, Robert’s from Shore. North Shore. The opposite side of the city. And he’s a gang member.”
J – “Think Romeo and Juliet – two people who aren’t supposed to be together. Only no one dies. I hope.”
T – “And he’s so hot.”
Victoria – “Do you have a favourite part of the book to share with us?”
J – “Yes, it’s the one of the scene were in with Julie and Robert. It’s at a party at my house.”
F – “I wasn’t there.”
T – “You snooze. You lose. It’s a great scene.”
Excerpt – “Julie!” Jennifer raced across the room and hugged her friend as if she hadn’t seen her in a decade. As she squeezed her, Jennifer whispered, “I’m so glad you brought him. Tonya’s here, so keep an eye on him. She’s been talking about stealing your man. Love you.”
She released Julie and smiled. “Robert, beer’s over there. Drop a twenty in the bucket and drink away.”
He grinned. “This party might not be so bad after all. Can I get you a be…diet something?”
Julie chuckled as she pointed. “You go that way and get a beer. I’ll go over there and grab a diet something. And then we’ll meet back here.”
“Synchronize our watches?”
Giggling, Julie disappeared into the crowd.
Robert stood near the beer line and watched as a brunette in a tight short skirt and low cut top strutted across the room and stood before him.
She dropped her gaze to his feet and moved it up to his hips then linked gazes with him. “Hello, tall, dark and totally fuckable.” She dragged her tongue across her top lip.
Robert’s chuckle started with a shake of his shoulders then moved to the crooked grin on his face before it erupted from his mouth.
She stepped in closer, slid her hand down his stomach and rested it on the inside of his thigh.
Robert didn’t release his gaze from hers. “What? Ya want me to just rip your clothes off and do ya here?”
Her pupils dilated.
Robert flicked her hand off his leg then glanced left and right to see who had slipped their arms around his.
“Tonya.” Tricia waited until the girl looked at her. “This gorgeous hunk of maleness is more man than you could ever handle.”
Jennifer flicked her hand. “Go away now. He’s all ours.”
Tonya turned on her heel and stormed off.
“Thank you. But I coulda handled that myself.”
“We’re just protecting Julie’s property.” Tricia winked and wandered over to speak with a friend.
Jennifer released his arm. “Tonya’s the school slut.”
“Figured that out all by myself.”
Julie stopped in front of them. “Did you get lost coming back from getting the beer?” She glanced at his empty hands. “Or did you get lost going to find the beer?”
Christopher barged between them and bumped Robert’s shoulder. “Guess Jennifer’s starting to hang with trash.”
Robert lunged forward, grabbed Christopher’s shoulder and spun him around. Before Christopher could react, Robert slammed his palms on Christopher’s chest shoving him back a couple of steps. “I am so not going take any of this shit tonight. Ya wanna take this outside and end it now?” His shoulders heaved with the depth of breaths he inhaled.
Refusing to make eye contact with Robert, Christopher glanced around. “I didn’t mean nothing.”
With one step, Robert invaded Christopher’s personal space. “Yea, you did.” He locked his gaze onto Christopher’s and didn’t blink.
Jennifer started to step forward, but Julie touched her arm. “No, leave him alone. Let him deal. He won’t do anything stupid.”
Several heartbeats later, a friend of Christopher’s grabbed his arm, pulling him away.
Robert slightly turned his head and watched as they camouflaged Christopher into the crowd. He rolled his shoulders and twisted his head around then turned. All signs of anger had disappeared. He stepped closer to Jennifer. “Sorry. He shouldn’t have insulted ya. If ya want me to go, I’m outta here.”
She handed him an unopened beer, rose up on her toes and placed a tiny kiss on his cheek. “You did good. He’s an ass.” Smiling at the surprised look on Robert’s face, she walked over to a group of girls to mingle with her friends.

F- “Typical Robert, always managing to get himself into trouble.”
J – “Someday Francine, you’ll see what a great guy Robert really is.”
T – “And how much Julie loves him. Is that all Victoria, because I have to go get ready. I’ve got a date tonight?”
Victoria – “Yes, thanks for visiting with me. And thanks to all you readers for stopping by.”

Thank you so much Ms. Adams for visiting my blog! It was wonderful to have you!